Shaw University Commencement Information

Saturday, May 12, 2018 | 10:00 a.m.

Welcome to the Shaw University official Commencement web site. This section has been created to assist graduation candidates, families, faculty, and staff in preparation for this exciting time of celebrating student achievement. Shaw University’s Commencement
exercise will be held in the Raleigh Convention Center on Saturday, May 12, 2018 at 10:00 a.m.

Graduating seniors are advised to consult the Graduation Clearance Process page and the Commencement FAQ page.
Also, please visit the links to the left to find out more about the commencement ceremony and graduation process.

2018 Commencement Speaker

Bakari Sellers

The CNN political commentator, attorney and former representative from South Carolina made history in 2006 when, at 22 years-old,
he became the youngest member of the South Carolina state legislature and the youngest African American elected official in the nation. In 2014, Sellers won the Democratic nomination for Lt. Governor and is considered a leading voice for his generation.

Sellers has received dozens of professional accolades, including TIME Magazine’s "40 Under 40" and “The Root 100” list of the nation’s most influential African Americans. He has also served as a featured speaker at events for the National Education Association,
College Democrats of America National Convention, NAACP, the Democratic National Convention and the AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington, DC.

An alumnus of Morehouse College and the University of South Carolina, Sellers has followed in the footsteps of his father, civil rights leader Dr. Cleveland Sellers, in his commitment to public service while championing progressive policies to address
issues ranging from education and poverty to preventing domestic violence and childhood obesity.